In a newly published conversation with Rolling Stone, Soundgarden guitarist Kim Thayil elaborated on his legendary grunge band’s upcoming induction into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame, in addition to weighing in on some artists he feels who have been criminally overlooked by the institution and several other related topics.
That discussion also touched upon the possibility of Soundgarden once again hitting the live stage during their induction into the hall this fall. When asked if he felt the group would be performing at the event, he offered:
“I think so, if they want us to. It seems that that invitation is there. It’s up to the Hall to how they develop their program, but we would love to play there. Our discussions haven’t gone that deep yet, but you could probably look at the people that Matt, Ben, and I have played with over the past handful of years, going back to the Chris Cornell tribute concert in 2019, there’s a few people we’ve performed with who on top of our head would be the first ones for the call.”
Late last year, the surviving members of the band’s classic lineup reunited for a benefit gig, with Shaina Shepherd and Duff McKagan filling in on vocals. When Shepherd‘s performance was brought up to Thayil in this new chat, he replied:
“Yeah, [she’s] great, and she’s local. I think everyone we’ve played with is super talented. We have a trust in their ability and an affection for their love of our work, and our love of their work. I think the best I can say is look at the people we’ve worked with over the past five years, and then I take a note from what Nirvana did when they went in and they had three or four different singers performed with them.
I think it’s going to be something like that. We haven’t had the opportunity to discuss it because Matt’s been on tour with Pearl Jam. A name might turn up on a text, ‘You should give this person a call,’ but we’ll figure it out. You can probably infer where we’re leaning, though.”
The fate of Soundgarden‘s final album was also broached. That album had been marred in legalities with the band’s camp and the estate of their late vocalist/guitarist Chris Cornell on opposing sides. At the heart of that matter were a number of unreleased songs Cornell was said to have been working on for the album prior to his passing. Those tracks and the alleged writing credits, per past legal filings, included:
“Road Less Traveled” (Chris Cornell/Matt Cameron)
“Orphans” (Chris Cornell/Matt Cameron)
“At Ophians Door” (Chris Cornell/Matt Cameron)
“Cancer” (Chris Cornell)
“Ahead Of The Dog” (Chris Cornell/Kim Thayil)
“Merrmas” (Chris Cornell/Ben Shepherd)
“Stone Age Mind” (Chris Cornell)
However, ownership and intention, as well as several other caveats surrounding how that final release would be handled, bogged down the process of getting those songs into the hands of the public. Back in April 2023, it seemed that everything had finally been hammered out, with an agreement being reached between the two parties.
However, November of that year found the band’s drummer Matt Cameron stating that the band’s dispute with Cornell‘s estate was still an ongoing concern. Since then, there hasn’t been much word on the fate of that outing. When asked in this new chat if he felt that album was eventually going to see the light of day, Thayil replied:
“I think so. Our objective and goal was always to complete that. I probably have OCD enough to not want to leave something unfinished or incomplete like that, so I think the more we can attend to our body of work and our catalog… I think everyone in the band feels that way. I don’t just to attend to my work, but the collective work, and in this case specifically, the work of Chris.”
He continued:
“I have pride for what I did and I want to see that come out. It doesn’t exist in the vacuum. It exists as a collaboration with Matt and Ben and Chris, but it takes on an entirely different weight when you think about what it is you’re honoring, and the work that you’re paying tribute to. It is us collectively. We want to do it proud. And that part of us is certainly one of the most intimate components of what Soundgarden has been since 1984.”
He went on to add:
“It would be a great gift to the fans. And I do think about this, and I don’t know how strange this sounds, but I feel like it’s a gift to Chris too.”
